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His England reign took some time to get going, as England laboured past Albania (3-0), Latvia (2-0), Andorra (1-0 and 2-0) and were beaten 3-1 by Senegal in a June friendly. The 2026 World Cup will mark the end of an era in French football, with Didier Deschamps set to stand down from his role as Les Bleus\u2019 head coach after 14 years at the helm. He will hope to go out with a bang and cement his legacy as France\u2019s greatest boss. But most of the favourites are set, with Lionel Messi hoping to help Argentina become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend their crown. This version of Morocco has the tools to be more proactive against France, but that can be a double-edged sword, facing Les Bleus’ phenomenal attack.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Main Pick \u2013 Argentina to Win @ 1\/6Argentina have won all five of their recent matches and scored nine goals in three World Cup group fixtures. Cape Verde\u2019s resilient defensive record is notable but was built against opposition that did not carry the same individual quality Argentina bring. At this price the match result offers no value in isolation, so the play is to combine it with a goals line. Elo ratings + XGBoost trained on 50,000+ international matches. The 2026 World Cup will be the broadest, most competitive, and most logistically complex tournament ever staged.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Saturday brings another big day at the FIFA World Cup, with six group-stage matches still to be played before the knockout rounds begin. An each way bet could be the way to go with African nations that you think have a chance, with Morocco starting with odds of 100\/1 or better to win the World Cup before the tournament begins. Similarly, tactics tend to play a large role for international teams. Spain for example have always played in a similar way which involves having lots of possession, whilst Italy for example have always been well-known for being resilient defensively. Three teams earn qualification for the FIFA World Cup, and two will bank their spots in the play-off tournament, with Canada, Mexico and the USA automatically entering due to being hosts. Six places are up for grabs for CONMEBOL teams, and it is a single-league format that simply decides which top six teams advance to the FIFA World Cup Finals.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Along with the Gold Cup run, a 5-1 win over Uruguay last time out put Pochettino\u2019s critics on notice, and the USA should feel good about their chances of being competitive in the knockout stages. While our model doesn\u2019t deviate too much from the conventional wisdom, we don\u2019t have teams in quite the same order. There are charts showing each team’s chance of winning it all, their most likely opponents at each stage, and precise odds for each game, including the likelihood of particular scores (e.g., Brazil 2-1). France are the favorites to win the World Cup 2026 after a perfect group stage. They swept Group I, the toughest group in the draw, ahead of defending champions Argentina. We are calling a France vs Argentina final, with France lifting the trophy 2-1 on July 19.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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But the prospect of two icons duelling to end the tournament in the lead should be absorbing viewing. It is little surprise, then, that Spain are our predictive model\u2019s early World Cup favourites, going all the way in 17.0% of tournament predictions. From the greatest individual rivalry of the 21st century to the greatest international soccer rivalry of all time. This will be tense, brutal and impossible to take your eyes off.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Despite an underwhelming qualifying campaign, Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s charges remain hot favourites to advance as group winners, with the Atlas Lions expected to settle for a runner-up finish. Colombia also deserve their lofty status in our projections, as they come in the tournament off the back of a run to the final of the 2024 Copa Am\u00e9rica, having outscored all other teams at that tournament with 12 goals. Mexico, the team that defeated the USA in the Gold Cup final, are the host nation viewed as most likely to shock the world and lift the trophy, with a 1.3% probability. But when the tournament begins, the likelihood is that Ronaldo will hog the headlines, just as he did in Qatar in 2022 and at Euro 2024. At the former tournament, Ronaldo was dropped for a last-16 tie against Switzerland after a series of ineffective displays, and his replacement Gon\u00e7alo Ramos scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Just 18 years old, he is tipped to be the young player of the tournament and already has the ability to spearhead his team to World Cup glory. Austria are narrowly favoured to win, with a 31.2 percent chance of taking all three points, while Algeria are rated at 26.7 percent. Victory would see Algeria win back-to-back World Cup matches for the first time.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Messi has shown no signs of slowing down, helping Inter Miami reach the Major League Soccer Cup final while contributing a staggering 35 goals and providing 21 assists in MLS action this year. There should be plenty of service for Harry Kane, who is Europe\u2019s most in-form striker, netting 24 goals in 20 matches for Bayern Munich since the start of the season in August. But there is a competitive race for the positions behind the England skipper after Tuchel suggested Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden could not both start, while Cole Palmer\u2019s season has barely got going due to injuries. Messi (13) is one goal ahead of Mbapp\u00e9, who will surely take possession of the record eventually.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n